skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Broderick, Scott"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. This paper develops a machine learning methodology for the rapid and robust prediction of the glass transition temperature (Tg) for polymers for the targeted application of sustainable high-temperature polymers. The machine learning framework combines multiple techniques to develop a feature set encompassing all relative aspects of polymer chemistry, to extract and explain correlations between features and Tg, and to develop and apply a high-throughput predictive model. In this work, we identify aspects of the chemistry that most impact Tg, including a parameter related to rotational degrees of freedom and a backbone index based on a steric hindrance parameter. Building on this scientific understanding, models are developed on different types of data to ensure robustness, and experimental validation is obtained through the testing of new polymer chemistry with remarkable Tg. The ability of our model to predict Tg shows that the relevant information is contained within the topological descriptors, while the requirement of non-linear manifold transformation of the data also shows that the relationships are complex and cannot be captured through traditional regression approaches. Building on the scientific understanding obtained from the correlation analyses, coupled with the model performance, it is shown that the rigidity and interaction dynamics of the polymer structure are key to tuning for achieving targeted performance. This work has implications for future rapid optimization of chemistries 
    more » « less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available March 1, 2026
  2. null (Ed.)
    Abstract This paper introduces the use of topological data analysis (TDA) as an unsupervised machine learning tool to uncover classification criteria in complex inorganic crystal chemistries. Using the apatite chemistry as a template, we track through the use of persistent homology the topological connectivity of input crystal chemistry descriptors on defining similarity between different stoichiometries of apatites. It is shown that TDA automatically identifies a hierarchical classification scheme within apatites based on the commonality of the number of discrete coordination polyhedra that constitute the structural building units common among the compounds. This information is presented in the form of a visualization scheme of a barcode of homology classifications, where the persistence of similarity between compounds is tracked. Unlike traditional perspectives of structure maps, this new “Materials Barcode” schema serves as an automated exploratory machine learning tool that can uncover structural associations from crystal chemistry databases, as well as to achieve a more nuanced insight into what defines similarity among homologous compounds. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract In this work, we develop and employ an accelerated design strategy using a machine learning algorithm to overcome the challenges for designing a new machinable glass ceramic. The trained machine learning model predicts the specific hardness value for numerous possibilities of processing conditions such as growth temperature and time. We report that the optimized growth parameters of 1200°C and 5 h achieve the highest machinability of 0.4 in the glass ceramic. Furthermore, we predicted the eight most promising candidates containing specific ratios of silicon, magnesium, aluminum, lithium, boron, potassium, barium, and oxygen. Combining machine learning with experimental data enables a systemic and rapid design of a ceramic material while capturing the underlying physics represented in the experimental data. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Chemical energy ferroelectrics are generally solid macromolecules showing spontaneous polarization and chemical bonding energy. These materials still suffer drawbacks, including the limited control of energy release rate, and thermal decomposition energy well below total chemical energy. To overcome these drawbacks, we report the integrated molecular ferroelectric and energetic material from machine learning-directed additive manufacturing coupled with the ice-templating assembly. The resultant aligned porous architecture shows a low density of 0.35 g cm−3, polarization-controlled energy release, and an anisotropic thermal conductivity ratio of 15. Thermal analysis suggests that the chlorine radicals react with macromolecules enabling a large exothermic enthalpy of reaction (6180 kJ kg−1). In addition, the estimated detonation velocity of molecular ferroelectrics can be tuned from 6.69 ± 0.21 to 7.79 ± 0.25 km s−1by switching the polarization state. These results provide a pathway toward spatially programmed energetic ferroelectrics for controlled energy release rates. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract The convergence of proton conduction and multiferroics is generating a compelling opportunity to achieve strong magnetoelectric coupling and magneto-ionics, offering a versatile platform to realize molecular magnetoelectrics. Here we describe machine learning coupled with additive manufacturing to accelerate the design strategy for hydrogen-bonded multiferroic macromolecules accompanied by strong proton dependence of magnetic properties. The proton switching magnetoelectricity occurs in three-dimensional molecular heterogeneous solids. It consists of a molecular magnet network as proton reservoir to modulate ferroelectric polarization, while molecular ferroelectrics charging proton transfer to reversibly manipulate magnetism. The magnetoelectric coupling induces a reversible 29% magnetization control at ferroelectric phase transition with a broad thermal hysteresis width of 160 K (192 K to 352 K), while a room-temperature reversible magnetic modulation is realized at a low electric field stimulus of 1 kV cm −1 . The findings of electrostatic proton transfer provide a pathway of proton mediated magnetization control in hierarchical molecular multiferroics. 
    more » « less
  6. This paper demonstrates the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools to explore large libraries of documents and to correlate heuristic associations between text descriptions in figure captions with interpretations of images and figures. The use of visualization tools based on NLP methods permits one to quickly assess the extent of the research described in the literature related to a specific topic. The authors demonstrate how the use of NLP methods on only the figure captions without having to navigate the entire text of a document can provide an accelerated assessment of the literature in a given domain. 
    more » « less